Behaviorism and Technology-ism

The theory of Behaviorism revolves around Operant Conditioning, which has two major components: reinforcement of desirable behavior and punishment of undesirable behavior (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010). Behaviorists believe that praising or rewarding a desirable behavior will reinforce it and ignoring or punishing an undesirable behavior will stop it. With that said...

This week we are focusing on various instructional strategies that use technology, which correlate with the principles of behaviorist learning theory. In Chapter 8 "Reinforcing Effort" of Using Technology in with Classroom Instruction that Works, there are four sources that contribute to one's success, which are "their own innate abilities, the assistance of others, luck, and effort" (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). According to these authors, effort is the most rational one to choose or depend upon for success because it is the most controllable of the four (2007). It is important for teachers to teach students this idea because it is the "ground leveler" in the classroom; all students are able to put forth effort. In order to do this, teachers must be straightforward about effort and expectations, as well as create opportunities where the students are in control and can physically see their effort. The instructional strategy presented in this chapter is using a spreadsheet to track student effort. With the use of a rubric, students are assess themselves according to how much effort they believe they put in for the task. As students record their assessments in a spreadsheet, their data can be made into charts as a visual representation of their effort. Data charts are very "black and white" since they are direct representations of the information put in by students. This strategy correlates with the behaviorist learning theory in that students with positive results will continue their hard work to continue to achieve that success. Students with lower results (the undesirable behavior) will (theoretically) try harder so that they achieve higher, or the desirable, results/behavior. Students can see that the more effort they put in the better their homework or test/quiz results are, and will therefore continue to work hard. This also works the other way around where students that are not putting in much effort can see how it affects their homework and test/quiz scores, which will theoretically motivate them to try harder next time.

The other instructional strategy was Chapter 10 "Homework and Practice." This strategy also correlates with the behavior learning theory. The main reason teachers assign homework is because it supplies more practice for students beyond the classroom. The behavior learning theory fits into this in that if students thoroughly complete their homework everyday, their quiz/test scores will reflect this since they are practicing more than someone not doing their homework. It is important for students to understand the reasoning behind homework: more practice and not because the teacher is mean. Once they realize this, they can then understand the reasoning that the more practice they do the more successful they will be. Students that do their homework may receive a sticker or stamp, which would also reinforce them to do their homework everyday. Students that do not do their homework may lose their recess, which would encourage them to do their homework everyday.

Teachers may want to combine these two instructional strategies by creating a spreadsheet for homework and quiz/test results so students can see that the affect of doing one's homework will most likely mean a higher quiz/test score.

Some believe that the theory of behaviorism cannot be applied to today's 21st Century classrooms, and I am not one of those believers. It may not be as relevant as it once was but I believe that it is still worthy enough to be aware of within the classroom.

Resources

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Program four. Behaviorist learning theory [Webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

This YouTube video I found sort of relates to the topic in a "theory kind of way." It's more for entertaining purposes! You can watch below or click here

This YouTube video is about Operant Conditioning from a little girl's perspective! :) Watch below or click here